Zywiec Porter | Zywiec Breweries PLC (Heineken)

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User Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by stoutman:

4.2/5 rDev +8%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is a surprisingly huge beer and quite drinkable. The flavor evokes hints of caramel, toffee, a hint of coffee, and a little smokiness. Finish is rather quick, without much in the way of hops, and I find myself drinking this too quickly. I think this is a great beer to break yourself into the world of dark, malty beers. Something about the quality of baltic porters makes them easy to drink and refine your palate for heavy beers. Great effort.

More User Reviews:

This is what happens when you fall in love with stouts, it leads you to try darker and darker beers, recklessly seeking that next roasted thrill until your bank account is a mere husk of binary code and you’ve become addicted to priceless Faberge eggs... at least that specific example has happened to someone, somewhere. Anyway the point I was getting at is that Plonk! (BBITU: Best Bottleshop In The Universe) is out of FBS (Founders Breakfast Stout) and I’ve been recommended the two closest things to FBS in the meanwhile: Zywiec and Rasputin - yes, that’s right - we’ve got a full blown Stout-off on our hands!

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a nonic pint.

A: Deep, deep, dark, cavernous, cola brown body that says “I will own you mere mortal!” with a foamy inch tall khaki head that slowly dissipates to a spiders lace. The whole thing is ominous. I like my Porters ominous. 9/10.

S: A roasted coffee/chicory combo that screams “I will own you mere mortal!”... again it is an ominous brew here. There are notes of dark fruit as well, hints of black cherry and prune. 7/10.

T: The flavour is a real surprise - sets you up for a huge challenging Stout/Porter (whatever, they’re the same thing) and delivers a mild mannered reporter, like if Clark Kent was the alter-ego to Lex Luthor. Flavours are roast coffee with brown sugar and prune. Finishes with an espresso bitterness and an unwanted metallic twang (loses 1 point for this, sorry unpronounceable brewer from Poland). 7/10.

M: Hits the register well here with a medium, rich body and a dense, creamy carbonation. 9/10.

D: It’s no FBS. That is certain. However at $4 a 330ml bottle it is FBS’s cheaper, slightly weird Polish cousin that likes to tip cows, farm potatoes whilst making bootleg vodka, and is “New to this country you call A-Merica”. The fact that it tastes half decent at that price (and kicks its own Lager in the soft-fleshy-dangly-male-bits between the legs) is enough for me to rate it decently. Decently indeed. I have spoken! 8/10. Total: 7.5/10.

I'd only drank this beer once or twice when I went to Poland in September of 2009 to visit family there. I remember liking it so much at that time that I got a few bottles to bring back home with me, and they made it from Warsaw to Chicago, but the line to get through security in Chicago coming through customs, etc. was quite long and slow moving and my dad and I were worried about missing our connecting flight back home to Cleveland and we were worried that we wouldn't have to check our bags due to buying liquid. So I had to ditch these beers I'd bought in Poland :( And of course our flight back home from Chicago ended up being delayed by about an hour anyways due to weather, so I totally could have checked a bag and brought this beer back! So I've kind of been keeping an eye out for it since September 2009. I'd never seen it on the shelf at any store. I'd see one or two other beers from Zywiec, but never this one. Until today. I stopped in an ACME grocery store when I was driving around for work today and I decided to peak at their beers, and boy was I pleasantly surprised to see this beer on the shelf. This beer that had eluded me for years was now reunited with me at long last! Oh happy day! What a bargain too, at $1.93 per a 19.9 oz bottle tax included. Poured into my beer mug that I got when I went to Poland, this beer pours a very dark brown color that is not interested in letting any light whatsoever with a nice, creamy, frothy looking tan head that is well over an inch thick when first poured. Head has good retention, only eventually settling to a good solid 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick. Aromas of loads of roasted malts, definite cocoa, and hints of black coffee here. Very nice indeed. The taste is even better, as the roasted caramel malts give way ever so nicely to sweet cocoa that is rounded out with roasted black coffee bitterness. The cocoa notes really linger on the tongue after each sip. Has a dry finish. Also has a slightly crisp, but mainly smooth, frothy, creamy, medium bodied mouthfeel with moderate carbonation. Very easy to drink indeed, almost too easy for a beer that has 9.5% ABV. Glad I finally managed to find this!

As a porter, the Zywiec is not too shabby. As an imperial/Baltic... I was not at all impressed.
The taste was boring, the look was not in the least way impressive, and the very crux of the beer lacked complexity; the drinkability for a 9.5% beer was impressive.

Maybe I was hoping for those chocolaty, coffee-ey notes in craft baltics, but this beer was worth not a cent more than its 1.99

Zywiec Porter has a fairly thick, foamy, beige head, a dark brown appearance, and some lacing left behind. The aroma is of dark-roasted, but not burnt, malt and coffee, and the flavor is of the same, with sweetness, chocolate, chicory, coffee, and a trace of hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium to heavy and velvety, and Zywiec Porter finishes semi-dry and very drinkable for such a high-alcohol beer.

Taste - Whoa... there is an initial explosion of dark roastiness and light smoke, molasses, and black licorice, dark roasted malt and unsweetened coffee gently enter the ppicture, with a nice slightly dry bite of toasty pumpernickel and lite caraway longer into the finish. Occasionally I get hints of burnt molasses and little bits of sour plumskin. No alcohol presence whatsoever at 9.5%!

Mouthfeel - Dangerously smooth, medium mouthfeel, carb is spot on and foams smoothly across the tongue, and surprises with a few nice edges at the back of the tongue.

Overall - A shockingly good porter. Full mouth flavors, great balance and complexity as this is more of a symphony vs. a few hard punches. What makes this really nice is the price of $1.99 a bottle at my local Garden Fresh. I will pick up a few of these every time I shop - pick up a few for yourself if you come across them, highly recommend! *Please note, I've updated this review, as my first bottle of this was 9 months past the best by date - it was pretty good, but was overwhelmed with astringent dark fruit flavors, and a slight balsamic-like vinegariness. A fresh bottle is a real treat, and an excellent representative of the style. I would even call it "imperial", as the flavors are bold and mouth filling.

L:deep black with a thick rich head
S: metallic, not appealing or inviting
T: Cocoa and cream, with a bitter, boozy finish
F: medium body, with a dry, hot finish
O: great ABV to price ratio, and a pretty solid beer

500ml bottle. 11/24/17 BB date. Appearance: Deep dark brown, almost black, opaque, and a low lying dark khaki head that dissipates quickly. Aroma: Rich bready, toasted crust, and dark fruit of plum and raisin. A touch of molasses and sherry. Taste: Rich deep toasted bread, chocolate, and sticky molasses up front, then a distinct dark fruitiness of raisin and cherry witha touch of spice. Just enough perceived bitterness to prevent the sweetness from being cloying. A touch of wood as well. Mouthfeel: Medium to heavy bodied with some stickiness and light carbonation. A slight of alcohol warmth hits on the swallow. Finish: All malt. Strong toasted bread is dominant on the finish, with a light nutty character. Overall: Outstanding beer, with a complex rich bread maltiness and dark fruit character reminiscent of a doppelbock. A touch of wood and chocolate as well, with an alcohol warmth in the backside to remind you this is a monster beer. Perfect for cool night out by the fire

Poured a deep deep dark brown with ruby hue thru out when held up to the sun with a big fluffy almond colored head that left copius amounts of lace behind as it settled slowly.Awesome aromas raisin,green apple which I found suprising but very appetizing with notes of star anice and wood as well,flavors start out sweet and rummy with raisin and prune notes a slight drying cedar,raw earthy profile shows thru keeping it in balance.Awesome beer a style I should seek out more often,I love to find some decent Polish offerings being of Polish stock myself.

Smell – The rich coffee grounds form the backbone of the nose along with raw sugar and a slight aroma of plantains.

Taste – The coffee from the nose gives way to a more malty flavor with a bit of raw grain that exposes this bee’s macro ownership. It’s comfortable though with nothing offensive.

Mouthfeel – This is a big beer, medium-full in body, with just the right amount of mild carbonation.

Drinkability – The much-maligned “heiny-in-a-can” brewery did a respectable job leaving well enough alone. The long, proud history of this brewery continues to shine through even with new ownership and it is definitely worth a try.

T: Opens very vinous with dark fruity flavors, then roasty/char notes coming on the midpalate. Rich, creamy, but not overly thick. Notes of burnt bittersweet chocolate. It's quite bitter, and the bitterness provides good balance with the sweetness never getting out of hand. The bitter and alcohol notes combine to add a nice mild bite to the flavor. Dark fruity esters. Finishes with a dark toasted flavor and lingering bitterness and char. Big, bold, tasty, and pretty badass.

M: Nice full-bodied feel. Good, relatively strong carbonation. Somehow pulls off the perception of being creamy and vinous simultaneously on my palate. That's a trick I haven't seen before.

D: It's 9.5% and a sipper so you're not likely to drink large amounts. But this is a very good Baltic Porter, and for the style it's at least average.

Overall, this is a badass beer. And the price is right, so I'll be buying this often. There are some definite treasures and bargains to be found among Eastern European beers.

500ml bottle pours a deep dark brown that borders on black with a light tan head that slowly falls atop the brew. Aromas are dense, rich malts upfront with notes of fudge, dark fruits, raisins and molasses. Somewhat roasted and quite inviting.

First sip brings a wash of rich, creamy malt upfront with a mix of roast, molasses, raisins, dark fruit and an underlying fudge note. Smooth with a kiss of bitterness on the back end and a whiff of alcohol as it flows down. Solid brew.

Mouthfeel is smooth, creamy and robust. Makes itself known while still being quite drinkable for the ABV. Overall, a top notch Polish brew. This and the Okocim porter make for a good one two punch!

11.2 oz bottle pours an essentially opaque, with some garnet fringes apparent when held to the light. A healthy tan head has good retention and leaves chains of sheet lacing all over the glass. Aroma is very robust, with lots of chocolate and fresh brewed coffee, on a background of dark fruits and a hint of smoke. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, satiny and slightly creamy. Taste is as delicious as its complexity, with dark fruity raisins and figs complimenting the expected roast coffee, chocolate, and smoke. There is ample hops bitterness, as well as a vague spiciness that serves up an exotic sweet/sour bittering.

This is a benchmark Baltic Porter, and is exceptional in taste, aroma, and drinkability. Truly a classic.

Drinkability: Very very good--perhaps my favorite in the style. I have not had this for a while and it is still a delicious favorite. The alcohol is fairly well masked, but because of the high ABV, two is my limit.